The Hand of Friendship
by LetitiaRichards
Summary: A Benign race of beings extend the hand of friendship towards General Jack O'Neill
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Hand of Friendship.

Author: LetitiaRichards

Rating: T

Category: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Smarm.

Season: Mid 8

Summary: A benign race of aliens extend the hand of friendship towards Jack.

14,254 words.

THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP.

by LetitiaRichards.

"Ambassador Kaytan insisted?" Brigadier General Jack O'Neill asked in disbelief.

"He did!" Daniel Jackson confirmed.

"Then I guess I should be able to squeeze him into my 'very' busy schedule," Jack grimaced. He really hated negotiations. Normally that was Daniel's forte, but part of his duties as head honcho of the SGC included being a diplomat; not at all his strong point. Give him a P-90 then send him off-world and he'd be more than happy. Like a dog with two tails.

"Ah...busy?" Daniel asked, giving the General a sceptical glance over the top of his spectacles. Jack was joking, right? Since when had Jack ever actually been...busy? He'd always managed to look busy, but being busy and looking busy were two different things in the O'Neill book of logic.

Jack waved a languid hand in the air, pouting.

"Yes Daniel, I'm a busy man." Jack asserted with a frown.

"Ah! I see," Daniel sighed in understanding. "Menu changes? Light bulbs? Pencils?"

"Don't forget the toilet rolls Daniel, they're very important. Can't run a base without them."

Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter snickered, she just couldn't help herself.

"Something funny Carter? Did I miss a joke or something?" Jack asked pointedly.

"Ah...no sir," she grinned, trying hard to keep a straight face. Her CO was being serious for once.

"Sooo..." Jack sighed with a little hint of glee. "Does this mean I get to go off-world?" Oh he sure hoped it did! It had been an age since he'd been through the Stargate. Being 'the man' and in his position, he was now the one who had to stay behind and watch the others travel to distant planets and have all the fun.

"It does not!" Teal'c the Jaffa warrior stated blandly.

"No?" Jack couldn't help the disappointment show on his face, before he quickly masked it. He looked at the other two with a pleading look. "Yes?"

Daniel, Sam and Teal'c shook their collective heads to confirm Teal'c's statement.

Damn! Jack cursed inwardly. He was hoping...

"Kaytan wants to come here to meet with the great Jack O'Neill," Daniel smirked. "He wants to see for himself what sort of person you are Jack, and what he's getting himself and his people allied to."

"He's heard of me?"

"Yes. They have a thriving grape vine too," confirmed Daniel.

"Only good things, I hope," Jack smiled.

"Sure. Things like; well, that you have a potty mouth; that you have a badass attitude..."

"Hey!" Jack interrupted with a frown.

Daniel stopped his growing list with a smirk and glanced at Sam across the table; she was trying hard not to laugh. He sooo knew how to yank on the General's chain.

"I have a reputation to maintain Daniel. Comes with the territory."

"So you'll see him?"

"See who?"

Daniel groaned; offering up a little prayer to the god of patience.

"Ambassador Kaytan, Jack. We've been here before."

Jack pulled himself upright in the chair.

"I guess I could," he sighed with resignation.

"Good. I'll let him know when, just as soon as Walter can find a suitable slot in your very full diary."

"And he wants to visit because...?"

"They have a very nice planet, and it's full of Naquadah sir," Sam interrupted before things got out of hand between the two of them.

"Ah! Nice!" Jack grinned.

Daniel rolled his eyes and groaned at the comment. Sam manfully ignored the gesture and carried on.

"Exactly sir."

"What did we offer them in exchange?"

"That's just it sir. They didn't want anything in particular. A few medicines perhaps, and a little technology, but nothing specific sir."

"Really? They must want something Carter?"

"The Ambassador was mainly interested in how we had recently defeated the Goa'uld, Anubis," Teal'c rumbled. "Apparently they had run into him and his kul warriors already. They wished to know how to set up a line of defence so we suggested that Colonel Carter would be able to help them or, yourself of course. That is why he wishes to meet with you."

"How do you propose we do that? Even we don't have that level of technology open to us anymore without a working ZPM," Jack stated with a frown. "Yet!"

"We did not promise them anything O'Neill, but we can educate them in the ways of defending themselves; do you not think?" Teal'c added.

"I guess."

"We do need the Naquadah sir."

"I know!"

Jack turned away, swivelling his chair round, yelling for Walter.

The tiny technician came running.

"You called sir?"

"I did. I need a slot in my 'hectic' schedule to fit in a visit with an ambassador from..." he stopped and looked at Daniel for the planet's name not it's designation. "...Daniel?"

"Ah...Venastras," Daniel supplied.

"Right. Venus!" Jack repeated, ignoring Daniel's groan and rolling eyes.

"Yes sir," Walter smiled at the play on the planet's proper name. He understood the General perfectly. He opened the big black appointment book and ran his finger down the days. "There's a two-hour slot on Friday sir; 10.00hrs. We could fit the Ambassador in then, if that's okay?"

Jack started frowning.

"Hey. I was due to go to..."

"I know General, but I can easily cancel that 'trip'. I can always arrange it for Monday now sir."

"Friday will be fine Jack. I'll let Ambassador Kaytan know."

Jack glared at Daniel. He sooo didn't want to do this, especially as he had booked that time off specifically for that 'lunchtime meeting' to be held down town with an old friend. He'd been looking forward to getting outside the mountain for a while. It had been an age since he last had any quality time off and away from the base. For cryin' out loud, it was only a couple of hours he wanted!

"Fine!" he sighed in resignation. "Book it."

"Yes sir," Walter duly replied and hurried away.

Daniel grinned and Jack pouted at him.

"You did that on purpose Daniel."

"No I didn't!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

"You sooo did!"

"Jack!"

"I'm cancelling this next mission."

"What?" Daniel and Sam gasped horrified. "Sir?"

"If I have to face this Ambassador, then you are staying right here with me until you see him back through that Stargate Daniel," Jack stated emphatically pointing to the Stargate sitting in the room below. "I will not do this on my own. You know me...I could well insult the man without knowing it."

Daniel sighed in acceptance, with a touch of frustration too. They had been scheduled to go off-world early on Friday morning to what he considered a most interesting looking planet; one that held ruins of what resembled an Aztec culture. He was itching to get there, but Jack had quashed that now, at least until Monday.

"Okay. Fine. I'll stay," he pouted.

"Right kids. Dismissed," he grinned, knowing he had ruined Daniel's plans just as he had thwarted Jack's schedule for Friday.

Jack left the room and returned to his office. He turned to shut the door when he discovered that Daniel had followed him into the room.

"Daniel? Something else on your mind?" Jack snapped, sitting down in his chair and frowning up at his friend. He sooo did not need a lecture about dashing his hopes to go off-world.

Daniel sat down in the chair opposite without an invitation, ignoring Jack's position as the General; the privilege of a long-standing friendship.

"Jack. Um...there are certain rules that you have to understand when dealing with the Ambassador, well, with all the Venastrans really. As a general rule..." Jack rolled his eyes at the pun but Daniel ignored it and continued tactfully. "...I'd say, that you're, well, you are a...a very...um...'tactile' person."

"And? Your point being?" Jack asked wondering where all this was leading.

"The Venastran's won't like that. They never touch each other or...or anyone else for that matter. It's their way."

"Doesn't say much for their sex life does it?" Jack quipped.

Daniel glared at him and Jack sighed in defeat.

"Sorry. You were saying?" he apologised and waved a hand in the air for Daniel to continue.

"Actually they have a very odd way of going about that, but that's digressing slightly."

"Really?" Jack asked, his interest peaked.

Daniel scowled waving away Jack's superfluous curiosity and carried on as if Jack hadn't spoken.

"Anyway, I just wanted to warn you not to...you know...not to actually touch them. It's a...um...a sensual thing, and you said yourself that you didn't want to insult them. If you were to touch them on the shoulder or other places, it means, well, um...something...ah...sexual," he coughed and blushed slightly with embarrassment. "If he makes the first move to shake hands then that's fine, okay. Hands only Jack. Don't whatever you do touch him anywhere else! I know it'll be hard for you because, well, because that's who you are. I mean it doesn't matter to us, we're your friends and..."

"Daniel! " Jack warned, holding a hand up to stop the archaeologist from rambling. "What would happen, say, if I did? I mean...you know me..." he asked, not at all sure that he really wanted to know.

"You won't want to Jack. Believe me!"

"Why?" Jack persisted.

"You want to add becoming his gigolo to your busy schedule Jack? That'll certainly add to your bad ass reputation," he snickered at his unintentional pun.

"Ah!" Understanding dawned and Jack grimaced in horror. "So, no touching. Right. Got it!"

"And they're not from Venus Jack!"

"I know that!"

"We really do need this alliance!"

"I know that too," Jack assured him.

"Good. Just so long as you do realise that; I can go do some work. I have that artefact from '908 that Mathews and his team brought back."

"Go! Play! Have fun Daniel. I'll be right here, buried under my mountain of paperwork," Jack growled.

Daniel hurried from the room leaving Jack looking longingly at the door as if he wished to escape as well.

Feeling somewhat deflated because he hadn't got a hope in hell of getting out of there until midnight at least, Jack picked up the first folder on his desk; groaning at the sight of another dozen or so that lay beneath it. 'Oiy', he muttered; he really, really hated paperwork; it was the only downside to his being in charge. Being 'The Man' wasn't all it was cracked up to be. How the hell did Hammond cope with it all?

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack had had so much paperwork to complete, that by the time Friday came around he was just about ready to enjoy the break afforded by the timely visit of one Ambassador Kaytan and his entourage from Venastras. The only drawback from that, was having to wear his dress blues for the occasion.

Jack made his way down to the control room still fiddling with his tie. Daniel was already and waiting, dressed smartly in his suit and tie, and Sam was in her dress blues too, but unlike him, she seemed more comfortable wearing them. Jack pulled at the tie one more time, and Daniel slapped his hand away, straightening it for him.

"God Jack. After 30 odd years of being in the Air Force you'd think you'd be used to wearing this by now," Daniel grumbled in frustration.

Jack brought his hand up to tug at the tie again, and then thought better of it when Daniel glared balefully at him. He glared right back with a pout, willing his fingers to stay still at his sides.

"I prefer to wear BDU's Daniel. And we don't wear this all the time unless you happen to work somewhere like the Pentagon. This is my base, my rules. I hate ties!"

Sam smirked and Daniel rolled his eyes, but was saved from further fuss when the gate started spinning and one by one the chevrons lit up and locked onto the address. The Ambassador was arriving.

The iris closed with a swirl and only when Walter confirmed that it was SG-7's IDC, did General O'Neill give the order for the iris to be opened.

The Trinium shield spiralled away from the open wormhole and Jack, Sam and Daniel took up their positions at the foot of the ramp.

"No touching Jack!" Daniel reminded him.

"I know!" Jack replied in exasperation. What was he, a kid? He grumbled to himself.

Sam sniggered and turned away when Jack looked down his nose at her, yanking on the front of his jacket to straighten it up and rolling his uncomfortable neck inside the collar and tie.

She pulled herself upright too and stood tall, facing the gate, completely unperturbed by Jack's regal glare.

The wormhole rippled and Jack could hear Daniel mutter under his breath. 'So the party begins!'

Jack turned slightly to raise an eyebrow at his friend before he brought his eyes back to smile benignly as SG-7 and the party from Venastras as they walked down the ramp. The attendants' eyes roamed the room, but Ambassador Kaytan kept his eyes on Jack and his welcoming party. SG-7 melted into the background and made their way to the Infirmary for their check ups.

Ambassador Kaytan was pleased and more than a little relieved to see that the Jaffa was missing from the welcoming party. The sober alien had made him feel uncomfortable back on his home world and the Jaffa had obviously felt the same, hence his absence. Jack had excused him after hearing of his discomfort in their presence, saying that at least one of them could escape with good reason.

Kaytan approached Jack with a huge smile. Keeping his hands well hidden in the folds of the long loose sleeves hanging from his folded arms.

He reminded Jack of the old pictures of a Chinese Mandarin, namely the one in a film of which he couldn't recall the title, for the minute. Robert Donat played that part he did remember. Ironically that was his last performance. This guy did remind him of Donat to some extent, his clothes were of similar design but rather dull and more coarse than silk.

A discreet cough from Daniel brought him back from his wayward musings.

Jack jumped slightly but turned it into a greeting when he realised he'd lost it for a minute.

"Ambassador Kaytan. Welcome to Earth! Jack O'Neill," Jack smiled, introducing himself rather nervously, and all the while willing himself not to reach out his hand in greeting. "You know Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter of course."

"General O'Neill. It is indeed a great honour to finally meet you in person." Kaytan bowed humbly.

"Oh, the honour is all mine, I'm sure!" Jack replied with an easy smile and a tentative bow too.

He made a sweeping gesture with his hand, being careful to avoid all contact as Daniel had warned him. He certainly didn't want to find himself unintentionally 'married' to the guy.

He led the way and the Ambassador followed, trailed by his entourage then Daniel and Sam.

They all arrived in the briefing room and Jack motioned for them all to take a seat. All the emissaries from Venastras were seated along one side where they would be isolated from his team; there'd be no touching that way. Jack as usual sat at the head of the table with Sam and Daniel on his right.

"So, lets get down to business shall we..." Jack stated with a smile.

Funnily enough, Jack found himself enthralled by these people and was quite happy to chat over strategies and other tactical warfare statistics and facts. He was actually enjoying the exchange of ideas. It was Daniel who felt left out of things, as Jack and Sam were in full flow regarding the topic of conversation to which Daniel had little or nothing to add.

They had some refreshments, brought along by Walter and which the Venastran's partook with curious faces. Although denying the taste was peculiar, they ate the confection and drank the coffee without complaint.

The time flew past and soon Daniel called a necessary halt to the proceedings, announcing that their time had overrun by two hours already and that it was obvious that perhaps they needed to get together at another time, suggesting that perhaps they arrange a meeting on their home planet to continue the discussion.

Jack's eyes lit up at the prospect of going off-world and could have hugged Daniel there and then if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't want to appear to 'favour' Daniel in their eyes or set any new rumours scurrying through their own very over-active grapevine. He restrained himself with the dignity befitting a General and led them back to the gate-room.

Jack ordered Walter to dial up PZ52 918 which was the given designation for Venastras.

The gate swung into action and they all stood silently watching as the chevrons engaged. The huge plume of matter exploded into the room and settled again within the confines of the gate.

Ambassador Kaytan had enjoyed talking with Jack immensely and showed his acceptance of this strange human custom by offering his hand to Jack.

"I offer you the hand of friendship Jack O'Neill of the Tau'ri."

Jack glanced sideways towards Daniel who nodded his approval.

"Then, Ambassador Kaytan of Venastras, I accept your generous offer," Jack returned with a ready smile.

He took the hand and shook it, but Kaytan's grip was limp and cold and Jack quickly repelled a shudder from the contact. He kept his smile from slipping even as the Ambassador had trouble hiding his surprise at the heat from the contact. Jack surmised that the resultant shock between them was mutual.

He'd never realised that these people would feel so cold when their generosity and nature had seemed so warm. He released the hand as quickly as protocol allowed and resisted the urge to wipe his palm down the side of his pants, because he had spent too long under military discipline to actually insult the man. Yes, he could be diplomatic, he smiled smugly to himself. Daniel should be proud of him.

The emissaries bowed low and all of them clasped both hands to their foreheads and bowed again. Daniel, Sam and Jack followed likewise, once Daniel had prompted Jack with a low growl to follow suit.

There was a collective sigh of relief from all three of them when the wormhole finally swallowed the travellers and then closed down.

Jack stood looking down at his hand with a frown.

"Jack?"

He looked up into Daniel's concerned blue eyes.

"You okay? You...er...look a little lost," Daniel queried, puzzled over what Jack might be thinking.

"No...em...yeah. I mean, I'm fine. I'll em...just go and wash up and change," he stumbled over the words, waving the offending hand in the air between them, his eyes still glued to it. It still felt...strange; ice cold and yet it seemed to burn with an invisible heat. If this is the reaction they get every time they touched, then no wonder it's sort of taboo to do so in their culture. He couldn't stop the shudder of revulsion that ran through him this time round.

He left both of his friends staring after him but all he wanted to do was to wash his hands to rid himself of the feel of that cold, cold flesh against his.

"Is he okay?" Daniel asked Sam after a minute or two while they still stood rooted to the spot facing the exit through which Jack had disappeared a moment ago.

"I guess so. Maybe the Ambassador had sticky fingers from those doughnuts?" she suggested as she moved away with a shrug.

"Ah. Could be I guess. I think I'll go check on him anyway."

"You do that Daniel. I'm gonna go get changed. See you later!" she called over her shoulder as she walked from the room towards the elevator.

Daniel took his time walking up the steps to the briefing room and eventually towards Jack's office where Jack had yet to arrive.

Instead he sat down at the conference table to wait for his friend to return.

Several minutes passed and Daniel began to wonder whether he should go looking for Jack but the man in question walked in wearing his blue BDUs looking far more comfortable and happier than he had the last time he'd seen him.

"Daniel? Got nothing to do?" Jack asked with a sarcastic smile. He was feeling good over the negotiations and was looking forward to going off world next time to meet them.

"Ah...yeah. Are you okay Jack?" Daniel asked, though he could see Jack was looking better now. "Only you looked a little...I don't know...um... distracted?"

"Who me? Nope! I'm fine!"

"Good. Great. Well, I'd better get going and write all these notes down on the computer. General Hammond will need a copy I suppose?"

"Yeah sure. As always. Are you sure you're okay? You look a little 'distracted' Daniel?" Jack said with a smirk, turning Daniel's words back on him.

Daniel snapped out of his reverie and smiled with reassurance.

"Yeah. Fine. I'm okay," he confirmed and hurried to the door. "So long as you are?"

"Daniel!" Jack growled. "I'm fine! Go...do whatever!" he ordered with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand. He was fine. No problem.

TBC


	3. chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was nearly 20.00hrs when Jack wandered along the corridor towards the commissary. He pushed open the door and saw one or two personnel sitting at the tables eating their meals or just sitting with a cup of coffee. He spotted Daniel safely ensconced in the corner of the room, his nose buried in a folder and a cup of coffee in his hand. He was oblivious to all around him as usual.

Jack walked along the counter, looking at the array of food on offer but his stomach suddenly balked at the idea of eating. Feeling slightly nauseous now he'd seen what was to be had, he opted for a cup of coffee instead. He picked up the cup and made his way over to Daniel's table.

"Daniel," Jack said as he sat down opposite his friend. "I thought you'd be gone from here now. Don't you guys keep Friday's for team nights any more?"

Daniel looked over the top of his glasses at Jack and appeared startled at Jack's statement.

"Friday night?"

"It was last time I looked," Jack replied with a smug grin.

"Damn! What time is it?" he asked frowning.

"Oh...it's..." Jack made a big show of checking his watch. "20.15 hrs. now. Shouldn't you be with Carter and Teal'c?"

"Ah...no!"

"No?"

"We ah...we dropped it."

"Why?

"Because it wasn't the same."

"For fear of repeating myself here Daniel, why?"

"It wasn't the same anymore. Not without you Jack. Those Jack O'Neill moments are missing. You know...the ones where we had to sit through the 'Simpsons' tapes for hours. There's no fun when there's only Sam and I to drink the beer. The conversation is far too serious. There's no-one to argue with us. Sam spends a lot of the time with Pete now too. He's not a patch on you Jack. He has absolutely no sense of humour, and Sam's the only one who laughs at his jokes. I...we... miss you Jack," he explained with embarrassment.

"Really?" Jack didn't know what to say to that little speech. "Why, thank you Daniel. That's nice. I kinda miss you guys too ya know," he sighed sadly.

They both sat in silence, brooding over missed companionship.

"What say we finish up and go for a beer, huh? After today's success we deserve a little break, don't ya think?" Jack said with a gleam in his eye. He was ready to give the paperwork a miss any day.

Daniel looked up and saw hope written over Jack's face. He was actually thinking of going home to bed, but instead he just smiled and nodded.

"Sure Jack. Meet you up top in 15?"

"Youbetcha!"

With that they both abandoned their, by now, cold coffee and hurried away.

Finigan's bar was crowded, being a Friday night, and Jack and Daniel had found a table right in the corner of the room. It was dark, and gloomy but it suited them perfectly. Jack took a huge swig of the beer from the chilled bottle and almost spit it out again. He choked but swallowed it down with difficulty and a cough afterwards.

"Jeez!" Jack exclaimed in disgust. "This beer tastes like crap! Tell me again why I'm drinking it Daniel?"

"What's wrong with it? It's good," Daniel responded in umbrage. He was enjoying it.

Jack glared at him.

"Yes well, you wouldn't know a good beer even if it..."

"Yes I do!" Daniel snapped in order to head off Jack's less than complimentary retort. "This stuff is really great! It's expensive."

"That does nothing to add to it's quality Daniel, and you're drunk."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Am not," Daniel replied belligerently.

"Are too! Come on Daniel. I'll take you home!"

"You haven't finished your...beer!" he hiccupped.

"Yeah well, I don't like it," he pouted, "it tastes too damn weird. Come on Daniel," Jack urged, trying to pull his friend up from the seat. "I got better beer at home."

Daniel reluctantly followed his friend as they left the bar and headed towards Jack's truck. There was no way Jack was going to let Daniel drive his car home tonight, not while he himself was still stone cold sober.

Instead of dropping Daniel off at his home, Jack took him back to his house and put him to bed in the spare bedroom. He switched off the lights and went to bed himself, feeling slightly worse for wear too, though not for the same reason as Daniel. That man was sooo gonna pay for making him drink that crap at the bar.

No sooner had Jack retired and fallen asleep, at almost 01.00 hrs., then he was scrambling from his bed and dashing to the bathroom in time to lose everything he'd eaten during the previous day and more by the feel of it.

He slid to his knees on the floor to lean against the cool tiles, feeling somewhat indignant that Daniel had now given him hours ahead of uncomfortable kneeling to the god of porcelain. He was sooo gonna kill him. Next time he was buying the damn beer. That diabolical stuff didn't taste right going down and it sure as hell didn't taste any better coming back up.

He puked and retched and heaved a few more times before he decided that perhaps it was safe enough to crawl back to bed again. His knees were now killing him and he was sweating like the proverbial pig, but on the other hand, he was also shivering, having nothing except a pair of boxers on at the time. The temperature inside the house had dropped as it had outside, and there was a chill in the early Spring air, so sitting on the bathroom floor for the past hour did nothing to keep him from getting chilled.

He staggered up from his position on the floor, hanging onto the wall for good measure, cursing softly from feeling every minute spent on his damn knees. He rinsed his mouth out in the basin, having brushed his teeth to rid himself of the vile taste left in his mouth. He felt sure some smelly creature had just crawled on inside it and then promptly died. Trying to convince himself that he felt better, he stumbled back to bed, and hoped to god he'd feel vastly improved in the morning.

Saturday was actually Daniels' day off, and the archaeologist was quite happy to stay where he was when the sun rose. His head hurt and he could barely see straight. Jack was right, he had been drunk, and he'd only had one beer; but that foreign stuff must have been really strong. His stomach felt a little delicate, so he turned over and snuggled down into the covers, ignoring the time, and the queasy feeling niggling at his gut.

If anything Jack felt worse when the dawn eventually crept over his windowsill. One good thing though, he didn't feel like he needed to puke any more, but his head throbbed instead, more than making up for the nausea. He rubbed his hand over his face, drawing it down slowly as he tried to wash away the residual memory of last night.

He hauled his aching body from his bed when the clock said 07.00hrs and after dragging on some sweats, made his way to the kitchen to brew a decent cup of coffee. He made himself some toast as it was about the only thing he felt would stay down right then. He didn't want to risk upsetting his stomach all over again.

While he waited for his breakfast, he called the base and cried off going in unless there was an emergency. Nobody was scheduled to go off-world today and none of the teams currently on other planets were expected home. He didn't ring in to say he was sick exactly, he just said something had come up; well, it wasn't a lie as such – yesterday's dinner had come up.

Once the coffee was ready he poured himself a cup and one for Daniel, though he wondered why he was being so generous when it was obvious the man had tried to poison him last night with that rot-gut muck he called beer. Jack shuddered at the thought of it and swallowed convulsively.

He wove his way along the hall and almost fell through the door when he opened it. He managed to keep from spilling the hot black liquid and sucked in a steadying breath to step rather shakily across the room to the bed where his friend lay sleeping still.

"Daniel. Daniel!" he called, wincing at the loudness of is own voice.

There was no answer except a light snore. Jack placed the cup on the nightstand and shook his friend's shoulder forcefully.

"Daniel!" he cried louder, which was enough to send his head reeling under the onslaught of sound. "Crap!" he muttered, plonking his butt down heavily on the side of the bed and managing to wake Daniel at last with the movement.

"J'ck?" he muttered sleepily.

"Who else were you expecting? One of those 'ditzy blondes' we picked up at the bar last night?"

"Geez Jack! You don't have to shout!" he whispered groggily, holding his head. "Wh...what? We didn't...did we?" he asked in confusion when he realised what Jack had said, sitting up quickly and regretting it almost immediately.

"Whadda you think?" Jack sighed in exasperation. Daniel was so easy to lead on sometimes.

Daniel heaved a sigh of relief when he realised Jack was kidding him and that there wasn't any 'ditzy blonde' in bed with him.

"And I didn't shout, but I did call ya several times Daniel. Coffee. On the nightstand, and thank you so much for last night!" he added, his voice laden with sarcasm.

"What?" Daniel asked reaching for his glasses. He propped them on his nose and took a look at his friend. Jack looked washed out and heavy-eyed.

"Ooh Jack. You...er...you don't look so good."

"Ya think?" he moaned, shutting out the light for a moment with his hand to ease his thumping headache and then swallowed some bile that scalded the back of his throat. His mouth still tasted foul.

Jack rose unsteadily to his feet and headed for the door, mumbling about not letting the coffee get cold and breakfast was ready if he felt up to it; he wasn't even sure that he was, now he'd made it.

Daniel followed his sluggish movements and sighed. 'That beer must have been really strong for Jack to be having a hangover too, even though he didn't drink that much of it. Maybe next time they should stick to the usual brands they knew.'

After a more sullen and silent than usual breakfast, the morning passed quietly, with neither of them willing to do much of anything. In fact Jack sprawled out on the sofa with his arm across his eyes, while Daniel chose the easy chair and both fell asleep again for another three hours before being woken by the ringing of the telephone.

Jack automatically leapt up to answer it, though he quickly had to hang onto the back of the chair for support when the world tilted alarmingly.

"O'Neill!" he mumbled, half asleep and still unsteady on his feet.

Daniel listened to the one-sided conversation and he didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know something was going on inside the SGC that needed Jack's immediate attention.

"You're sure?" Jack said into the phone, sobering up quickly.

"Okay. Get hold of Colonel Carter and Teal'c, and I'll grab Daniel. Be there in 30."

Jack replaced the phone and turned to Daniel. He took a moment to scrub his hands over his face to pull his thoughts together, then at Daniel's curious face he gave him the information he needed.

"Come on Daniel, get yourself together. There's a crisis that needs us to sort it out. Go, get some shoes on. Now!" Jack growled. He wasn't really up to facing some dire emergency at the SGC, but needs must, and he was now the man in charge so he had very little choice.

Daniel, who was bare-footed, rose as quickly as he could from the chair, and hurried into the spare bedroom to put his shoes and socks on and grab his jacket.

"Are you up to this Jack?" Daniel asked tentatively eyeing Jack's pale yet flushed face as they met in the hallway.

Jack glared at his friend, then answered in perfect honesty.

"No. But neither are you, so that makes two of us. Next time we go out, I'm buying!" he reminded him. Daniel didn't dare disagree.

"What's going on?" Daniel persisted in asking questions when Jack needed all his concentration on the road ahead.

"I won't know that until we get there Daniel. Dixon couldn't say over the phone, you know that," Jack panted. He was feeling woozy now. Blowing hot and cold, and driving the truck was getting harder. They fell into an uneasy quiet, both wondering what was happening inside the SGC or off-world to warrant calling them in. Jack was thankful that Daniel wasn't saying much now, allowing him the wherewithal to keep his focus on the road ahead.

TBC


	4. chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack didn't bother changing his clothes, he made straight for the control room where Colonel Dixon was standing in for him.

"General sir," he saluted as he heard the General approach, though he was a little startled at the General's 'rough around the edges' appearance.

Jack hurried down the stairs into the room, each clatter of his footsteps echoed violently through his head as he descended the metal treads. He mentally shook himself and made himself concentrate on the matter at hand, trying hard to ignore the sweat that was building up on the inside of his shirt and the fact that he was feeling worse for wear with each passing minute.

"Colonel. What's going on?" he asked a little breathlessly, stifling the urge to cough from the effort of rushing. His chest tightened and he did cough a little; his throat was so dry. What he needed was a cool drink of water right now. He turned to one of the white-coated technicians and ordered him to get him a paper cup of water from the cooler outside.

"SG-14 is pinned down by a couple dozen Jaffa about two miles from the gate sir. Captain Roberts managed to get back to the gate to warn us but Major Banks has been badly wounded. Pearson and Watts are holding them off for now, but he doesn't know how long they can keep the enemy at bay sir."

"Launch a UAV. Let's see what's happening out there," Jack said as Daniel joined him but kept back out of the way. "Where's Roberts now?"

"In the infirmary sir. He wasn't too happy to leave his team behind, but he was barely conscious when he came through."

Jack acknowledged this with a simple nod and another cough, hiding it quickly under his hand. He accepted the cup from the subordinate and drained the contents quickly, noting the arrival of Sam as she rushed into the room followed by Teal'c. He tossed the empty cup into the trash can.

Jack turned, swaying slightly as he greeted them, so much so that Daniel was forced to step forward and grasp his elbow in order to steady him. Jack shrugged off his help and ignored his problem, his mind fixed solely on getting help to his men that were pinned down.

Sam was a little disconcerted to see Jack's ashen features and the fact that Daniel had to practically hold him upright just now, but he was barking out orders to her before she could voice her concern.

"Colonel," he ordered. "Get SG-1 ready to leave on the rescue mission, and I want SG-3 and SG-9 to go with you. Daniel stays behind."

"What?" Daniel cried in protest, letting go of Jack in the process. "Jack…? You can't..."

"Yes I can and I just did."

Sam glanced across at Daniel and then back to Jack in surprise.

"Sir?" she asked puzzled as to why Daniel wouldn't be going.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment fighting off his headache before turning to look at his friend.

"Daniel you have a hangover. I can't risk sending you out in the field like that. You'd be a danger to yourself let alone your team-mates. No. You can keep in touch with them from this end."

"But...?"

"Daniel!" Jack snapped and had to rub his forehead to ease the pain that spiked there.

Daniel could see Jack wasn't faring too well at all, he could now see the sweat beading upon his brow and over his upper lip, so he accepted Jack's orders for now albeit begrudgingly, and purely on the basis that he could keep an eye on his friend here at the SGC.

"Carter. You have your orders!" Jack stated wondering why she was dithering.

"Yes sir," she snapped off smartly, not at all liking the fact that he seemed unwell, but, orders were orders. "We'll be ready in 15."

Jack nodded and turned back, holding onto the back of the technician's chair to watch Siler and his crew in the gate-room prepare the UAV ready for launch.

A few moments later the first images were being screened and Jack could plainly see that his team would soon be overrun by the Jaffa. He couldn't make out who's Jaffa they were but whoever they belonged to, they were close to victory. Jack grabbed the mike, steadying himself against the desk at the same time.

"SGs' 1, 3 and 9, You have a go. Bring em back kids!"

"Yes sir," Sam said determinedly with a salute. She led the combined team up the ramp and disappeared into the event horizon.

Jack watched them go, watched through a fog as the gate shut down, then slowly straightened up from where he was leaning over the desk to reach the microphone. He stood still for a moment then overcome with more dizziness than he could handle, he momentarily swayed on his feet then staggered a couple of steps before his legs gave way and he found himself collapsing to the floor.

"Jack!" Daniel yelled suddenly, jumping to his friend's aid.

Colonel Dave Dixon swung round in time to see Jack's knees buckle.

Both Daniel and Dixon managed to catch him before he could fall and hurt himself in the limited space of the control room, and they gently stretched him out on the floor while Dave took charge of the SGC once more.

Jack's glassy eyes were open but Daniel could see they weren't focussing on anything. He called out to him, but it was as if Jack couldn't hear him. He gave Jack a quick going over, while a shocked Walter called for an emergency medical team.

Daniel noted a rapid but thready pulse; fever; chills; shallow noisy breaths; clammy skin. What the hell was wrong with Jack? He wondered. He certainly couldn't have a hangover like he had surely.

"Jack? Jack?" he called again, placing his palm against Jack's flushed cheek hoping to rouse his friend so he coulddiscover why he had collapsed. "He's burning up," he confirmed when his hand felt the heat radiate from Jack's face at his touch.

Jack couldn't breathe, his chest hurt, his head hurt, everything hurt. He was cold and yet he was hot; so dizzy too. His vision wavered and he could no longer make out the shapes hovering over him. He could hear something; someone talking to him; they sounded like they were calling him from afar but he couldn't make any sense of it at all. He felt a hand cup his cheek before his vision darkened and the world around him swirled away and he knew no more.

Daniel watched as Jack's eyelids fluttered and slowly closed; his eyes rolling upwards as he lost consciousness. Daniel felt utterly helpless to do anything. There was a lot of flu going round, so perhaps Jack had caught a really bad dose of it. He'd been ill all day he supposed, and now he thought about it, it couldn't possibly be a hangover like he had, Jack had hardly touched any beer last night, had he? Had he been drinking after he himself had crashed out? He wished he could remember, but everything was just a hazy blur; he couldn't even recall Jack putting him to bed as he'd said he'd done, let alone whatever happened afterwards.

A few minutes later Dr. Brightman and her team rushed into the room, gently pushing Daniel aside.

"What happened here?" she demanded, kneeling beside the General, pulling his shirt up in order to place her stethoscope onto his chest.

"I knew he wasn't feeling too good earlier, then he just...collapsed," Daniel explained, still in shock. He stood watching closely but out of her way while she assessed Jack's condition. She barked several orders at her staff then they all helped to lift Jack onto a gurney. An oxygen mask was placed over the General's nose and mouth and then they rushed him away to the infirmary.

Daniel paced the floor; he'd been unable to settle to his given task and in the end Colonel Dixon had sent him off to wait outside the infirmary while he assigned someone else to run communications between the teams and the SGC.

The doors swung open and Daniel was suddenly facing Dr. Brightman. He stepped forward to meet her, his anxiety written plainly on his face, which fell when he noticed the Doctor was looking worried.

"How is he?"

"Well, it's not the Flu that's for sure. I won't beat about the bush, it's not looking good at all Dr. Jackson. You were with him, yes? Can you tell me anything about how he was feeling?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure. We went out for a drink last night, but I don't think he drank much of anything. He did look rather hung over this morning though as if he'd had a bad night. He said he didn't like the beer we tried; said it tasted terrible...well, in his words, it tasted like crap, but that's about it. I can't tell you if he had anything after we got home," he said apologetically, "he… er...kinda had to put me to bed in the spare room. I...um... the beer went straight to my head," he admitted colouring up in embarrassment.

Dr. Brightman nodded with a little smile, knowing what it cost the archaeologist to admit he was drunk. She waited for him to finish.

"He did look rough this morning, pale, washed out and to my eyes a little flushed too, like he had a fever but he wouldn't admit to it. I think we both slept after we had some toast and coffee; that was all we could manage after last night. The phone call from the SGC actually woke us up. He never said a thing. He just said he'd be fine when I asked if he was up to this. Are you sure it isn't this flu bug that's going around?"

"I wish it was, Dr. Jackson. There are several anomalies in his blood right now that I have no idea what they are or how they could have gotten there."

"Do you think it was that beer? I mean, maybe he just reacted badly to it."

"It's a possibility and one I will have to look into. Can you give me the brand name and where you bought it?"

"Ah, yeah sure." Daniel nodded.

"Thank you Dr. Jackson. I'd appreciate it."

"Can I see him?"

"He's still unconscious but sure. I'll get the labs working on this right away. He hasn't been off-world lately has he?" she asked as an after thought. As far as she knew he hadn't but she needed to make sure.

"No. Not since he took over as General."

Brightman sighed, well that was one thing she could rule out of her research.

"Okay Dr. Jackson, you can go in now," she said with a brief smile; she had a lot of work to do to find out just why the General was ill.

Daniel gave her a similar smile and entered the private room. Pulling a chair over to the bed so that he could sit beside his friend.

Jack was pale, and so inert, almost lifeless; the only movement detectable was that of his chest as he breathed with the aid of the oxygen mask. Daniel was thankful that he didn't need the help of a respirator to breathe. That was another small mercy. It was strange and a little unnerving too, to see Jack so still; he was always so active; even in rest and in his sleep his fingers and limbs still twitched, but there was nothing; nothing to indicate that Jack O'Neill was alive in that immobile shell except the slow rise and fall of his chest and the fog of breath inside the mask as he exhaled.

He reached out and touched Jack's left hand it was warmer than it was earlier, though still a little clammy, and there were more beads of perspiration on Jack's brow. Without thinking about it, he stood automatically, wringing out the cloth from the tepid water on the nightstand and then mopped his friend's face gently, cooling him off. Jack seemed to lean into it which pleased Daniel, knowing that Jack was still with them, albeit unconsciously.

An hour later a nurse came in and carried out various tests on the General; blood pressure, temperature, kidney output; Daniel watched not really understanding everything she was doing, but knowing it was for Jack's benefit. She grimaced a little as she made notes on his chart and Daniel wondered what it was that she had spotted.

"What is it?" he asked with a worried frown.

The nurse bit her bottom lip as she made herself check over the results again. She gave him a weak smile.

"His temperature has risen again Dr. Jackson, that's all," she tried to sound as if it was to be expected, just to assure him, but he could see that she was worried too and that she would have to report it to the Doctor.

"But that's bad right?"

"Well, that depends. It means he's fighting the infection or virus or whatever this is."

"But...?"

"But we don't know what's causing it yet."

Daniel slumped back in his chair. He had no idea what Jack had contracted but whatever it was, it had certainly knocked him for six.

TBC


	5. chapter 5

Chapter 5

The alarms started to blare throughout the base.

Colonel Dixon was expecting it any minute and was already standing by in the control room when the gate swung into action.

The iris closed and the staff waited anxiously for the IDC to come through.

"It's SG-1's code sir," Walter confirmed.

"Open the iris!" Dixon ordered.

"This is Colonel Carter," the speaker crackled with static as Sam's voice came through. "We're coming in hot! Jaffa on our sixes, be ready to close the iris as soon as we're all through!"

Dixon grabbed the microphone, silently nodding his approval to open the iris.

"We're ready Colonel," he yelled into the mike hoping to be heard above the battle raging on the other side of the wormhole.

He then spoke to the SF's down in the gate room.

"Heads up boys, they're coming in hot. Beware of hostiles. And don't, whatever you do, shoot our people!"

They snapped to, and were ready to open fire should a Jaffa come through behind the SG teams.

Teal'c was the first man through and he had the badly injured Major Banks slung over his shoulders and he ran down the ramp to the nearest gurney on which to lay his inert burden.

He was quickly followed by several other men, some of whom were also injured though not so badly still needed help to walk. Occasionally a staff blast would explode against the back wall of the room and everyone instinctively ducked. Then Sam and Colonel Reynolds hurried through the gate both shouting for the iris to be closed.

One Jaffa made it through but was shot down before he could gather his thoughts together from his trip through the wormhole.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the Iris spun into position and the threat was eliminated when several thumps could clearly be heard from the impacts against the shield.

Sam had expected to see Jack up in the control room waiting for their return, but he wasn't there and she couldn't help but feel a ripple of disappointment run through her. Jack made a point of always being there when she returned from off-world. He'd promised, but she guessed that he had other more important business to attend to.

She stood and watched the frenetic activity going on all around her; medics tending to the wounded; gurneys being loaded with the more seriously wounded. The room filled with the moans and groans of people hurting, but her focus wasn't on them. She had replayed the last time she had seen Jack and now she came to think of him, she could recall that he wasn't himself. She had a flashback to Daniel having to support him when they were in the control room and her heart skipped a beat. Was he as intoxicated as Daniel had been the night before? He'd said Daniel was suffering from a hangover, was he too? She shook her head in denial, he would never have been stupid enough to come onto the base if he had been, let alone drive here. He took his responsibilities as General seriously, and lived by example. In all the years they had known each other she had never known him to get so drunk that he couldn't stand upright the next day. That just wasn't him or his way.

"Colonel Carter!" the voice floated past her brain, but didn't register.

"Are you hurt at all Ma'am?"

This time the gentle voice and the light pressure on her elbow registered and Sam snapped out of her reverie.

"Wha...uh...sorry. No I'm fine, thank you!" she apologised to the medic standing at her elbow. "It's just... Have you seen General O'Neill?"

"Yes Ma'am, he's in the infirmary," she replied before turning away to help one of the other nurses with the injured Pearson.

"Thank you," Sam answered with a sigh of relief.

Her thoughts turned inwards again, thinking perhaps Jack had headed off there as soon as the injured had started coming through. The General would most likely have been worried about Major Banks; as he had personally groomed the Major for his role as CO of SG-14. He took things like any injuries they incurred almost personally.

Teal'c approached her with a worried frown, and he laid one of his huge brown hands on her arm with such gentleness that she was momentarily shaken, forgetting that this formidable warrior was a gentle giant where she and his friends were concerned.

"Colonel Carter are you not feeling well?"

She smiled up at him with reassurance.

"I'm fine Teal'c just thinking that's all. Let's go get showered while the infirmary is overrun with the injured. Then we'll get checked out after the hubbub has died down.

"Colonel Carter! Teal'c!" The voice pulled her thoughts back to Colonel Dixon up in the control room.

"Colonel?" she responded with a worried frown as she and Teal'c looked up at the window.

"I need a word with both of you. Meet me in the briefing room right away!"

"Yes sir," Sam replied wondering what was wrong now. Surely he didn't want to debrief them now, without the General being present?

Her feet led her away, automatically heading for the metal staircase with Teal'c followed behind without so much as a murmur.

The door opened softly and Sam poked her head round it before she and Teal'c entered the observation room quietly.

"What the hell happened Daniel?" Sam challenged as she approached the vacant chair next to her team-mate. Shakily she sat down heavily on it, all the time her eyes riveted to the comatose figure lying so still and ashen against the pale green sheets of the bed in the isolation room below. "How is he?"

"I've no idea what happened Sam," he sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "You know Jack as well as I do. He never said a word to me about this. I just thought he had a hang-over, but... " He threw a frustrated hand towards the glass window in a gesture of helplessness. "Doctor Brightman doesn't know what this is," he groaned softly. "She's got the lab boys working on it, but as yet they've not managed to come up with anything. This seems like it's a totally new strain of virus. Colonel Dixon's already had to close the mountain down just in case."

"I know," she sighed. "We've just had a briefing with him."

Sam looked across at her friend and her heart went out to him. He was now sat slumped over the desk, his head in his hands.

"Daniel how long have you been here?" she asked, seeing him so pale and washed out himself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Sam. I don't have any of Jack's symptoms if that's what you're thinking, and I've been with Jack most the time. Whatever this is, it's fast acting. He...he was fine when we went out for a drink last night...uh...sorry, the night before last." He corrected, checking the time by his watch. He turned to see her face for the first time and could see that her eyes were red and watery. He reached out and pulled her to him. "C'mon Sam. You know what he's like. The stubborn SOB won't let this beat him. He always bounces right back, right? Before you know it, he'll be grouching and grumbling and driving the medical staff up the wall."

Sam snorted with amusement at the mental picture she had of Jack in his usual temper when he was recovering from some injury. It was true, he would be a royal pain in the ass when he was on the mend, but more tears fell anyway at the sight of him at this moment in time. Doctor Brightman had filled them in. Jack was now in a coma, needing the respirator to help him breathe. The virus, or whatever it was, meant his condition was gradually worsening, despite her efforts to control it. Could he beat this? Especially as it was an unknown virus or whatever it was. But where the hell had he picked it up?

She sat in silence watching the nurses working down below, making their regular checks on him, cleaning the tubes and setting up a fresh bag of fluid into the IV.

She didn't know how long she'd sat there silently observing the man in the bed; the man she had loved for what seemed like forever but could never have. And she had Pete now; but a little part of her still loved this man, the General, her CO. To see him like this, so weak and vulnerable was enough to weaken her resolve to put their unofficial feelings behind her. She was perturbed that in his present state, he could still evoke such strong feelings inside her. Would her love for Pete be strong enough to bear if even a little piece of her heart still belonged to this man? She wondered as doubts assailed her.

Dr. Brightman walked into the room, breaking them from their vigil over their friend. Both looked at her expectantly, anxious for some good news.

"Anything?" Daniel asked with hope.

"For what good it will do I don't know. There were traces of a banned chemical in that beer you drank the other night Dr. Jackson."

"There was?" he gasped frowning. "But...I don't understand. I actually drank more than Jack did, and I was fine. Well, okay, a little hung-over but I'm fine."

"That maybe so, but it was brewed in a backwater somewhere abroad and illegally sold as an import Dr. Jackson. Let's just say they weren't as particular about content or cleanliness as we are in this country. There have been other cases of poisoning reported by those who have imbibed it, but nothing as bad as General O'Neill's symptoms. He seems to have had an adverse reaction to it, but that's not the main problem here, because what we also found in his bloodstream didn't come from the beer."

"So it was a combination of factors?" Sam asked, her mind in a whirl or possibilities.

"That's a fair assumption Colonel, yes, that's what we believe."

Daniel snorted with amusement and earned himself reproachful looks from both women. He waved a hand at Jack's inert form and explained his thoughts to them.

"It's just...well..." he laughed, "it's the thought of Jack being allergic to the beer. It's rather ironic really don't you think?"

Sam smirked too, leaving the Doctor wondering if perhaps they were feeling the strain of keeping watch over the General.

TBC


	6. chapter 6

Chapter 6

They took turns at watching over their friend, though Daniel was loath to leave his vigil. Somehow he felt responsible, thinking perhaps it his fault that Jack was lying there fighting for his life. If he hadn't made him drink that damn beer; if he'd been sober enough to notice that Jack wasn't hung-over as he had thought he was; if only he'd stayed awake long enough on Saturday morning to recognise that Jack was really ill and try and get him to go see the Doctor instead of ignoring the fact that Jack looked terrible. There were so many 'ifs' that it almost overwhelmed him. If only he'd...

"It's not your fault Daniel Jackson!"

Teal'c's deep clear voice penetrated Daniel's fog of self-flagellation.

"Uh? What? Teal'c?" Daniel gaped as he tried to recall just what it was that Teal'c had said.

"I believe that O'Neill would not lay the guilt for his illness at your feet, Daniel Jackson. You are in no way responsible for his condition."

Daniel blushed, and shook his head at Teal'c's perception. Sometimes his friend's knowledge and understanding of human feelings was so deep it took his breath away, considering that he was an alien.

"How did you know what I was thinking Teal'c?"

"It is obvious my friend that you are under a great deal of stress due to your misapprehension. I do not believe that such undertaking on your behalf will improve O'Neill's health."

Daniel was rendered speechless for a change. There were occasions like this that he felt like an open book and that Teal'c could read his thoughts and feelings with great perspicacity.

Daniel blew out a huge breath.

"I can't help it Teal'c. I hate seeing him like this. I feel so...so useless. I'm helpless to do anything other than just watch him get worse."

"Have they not yet discovered the main cause?"

"No," he sighed, "the lab boys are still working on it," Daniel shrugged in defeat. He was an archaeologist not a research assistant. He wished he could go down there and help find out what exactly was wrong with Jack. At least then he would be doing something constructive instead of just sitting there doing absolutely nothing. He wanted at best to be by his friend's side, perhaps mopping his fevered brow or whatever he could. He was willing to do anything, but all he could do was to sit up in the observation room and watch while others cared for Jack.

"I will watch over him for now Daniel Jackson. Dr. Brightman says you are to go and partake of some nourishment - but was insistent that you forego any coffee - before she is required to force-feed you and that you will afterwards go and rest. She has asked me to remind you that she will not hesitate to sedate you so that you will be forced into getting some sleep if you refuse to do so."

Daniel snorted. Dr. Brightman was getting to know him quite well, and she was beginning to sound like Janet. With those thoughts his heart jolted. Would he ever be able to come to terms with what happened to the petite auburn haired fire-ball that Janet was? She had been a good friend as well as their physician and she may have been small but she more than made up for it in other ways. Even General Hammond had met his match there in all things pertaining to the health of her patients.

Dr. Brightman had a long way to go to fill Janet's shoes if she ever could, but she was learning fast and Jack was no mean push-over when it boiled down to it; stubborn to a fault was General Jack O'Neill. That was one reason why he was down there; if he'd only said he'd felt lousy earlier, then all this might have been avoided.

Daniel summoned all his strength and stood wearily, though his eyes never left the occupant of the bed in the room below.

Reluctantly he nodded to Teal'c who responded with a slight dip of his head. Daniel quietly left the room and headed to the commissary, though he wasn't feeling in the least bit hungry and he was way beyond sleepy.

It was still touch and go several days later. Jack hadn't deteriorated any further, but then, he hadn't improved either. They were all worried about him. There was a melancholy air around the whole base while everyone kept their fingers crossed that he pulled through this, just as he had on many occasions come back from the brink of death. Though until they discovered exactly what the problem was they could only hope that his Irish luck held true.

Dixon had re-opened the base again once Dr. Brightman had assured him that whatever the General had contracted had proved not to be contagious. Most of the SGC personnel though had volunteered to stay on the base so that they would be close at hand to hear the latest news on the health of their Commander.

Sam wandered into the observation room as soon as she'd arrived at the SGC. She had been home for the first time in what had seemed like ages and had spent a quiet evening there with Pete. She'd apologised to him that she really didn't feel up to celebrating her safe return from another mission; not with the General so ill. Pete had sighed but said he'd understood. Would he ever really be able to understand the complicated relationship between her and Jack? She pondered. Could he live with that?

She looked down at her friend and smiled sadly. Daniel was asleep. His arms folded over the bench with his head resting on them, glasses askew. She should make him go to bed but she knew how much the General meant to him too; to all of them. In his short time as CO of the SGC, General O'Neill had proved himself a worthy successor to General Hammond, and there was nothing the personnel of the base wouldn't do for him.

She sat in the vacant chair and nudged her team-mate who woke up with a start and Jack's name on his lips through deep concern.

"Wha...? Jack?"

"There's no change Daniel, which I guess is a good thing. At least it means he's no worse. Go get some rest. Take a shower; eat!" she ordered.

"Thank god!" he said, sighing with relief, "No, it's okay. I'm fine..."

"I could make it an order Daniel."

He glanced sideways at her, frowning, doubt written over his gentle features. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and blinked owlishly at her, wondering if she really would make it an order. She'd never normally use her rank to persuade him to do anything, well, at least, not often.

"Sam...please don't..." he pleaded, but was interrupted when the door was suddenly flung open.

"We think we've identified the cause of the problem," Doctor Brightman informed them with a smile as she hurriedly entered. "but we still have no idea where he picked it up. At least we should be able to treat him now and see if it works."

At their puzzled looks she continued.

"Whatever it is, we discovered that it's a chemical that is absorbed through the skin and it's this unknown element that's causing the General's illness, add to that the anomaly in the beer and we have an unknown illness." she announced proudly. "When we looked at a past sample of the General's blood, we found exactly what we were missing. Unfortunately we still don't know what it is exactly.

"That's great!" they chorused. "So he should start to improve?"

"Once we can find the right medication and the correct dosage to administer, then yes, but it's a case of hit and miss until then; it could take a long time to sort it out and there's no guarantee that it will clear it up completely. He may suffer some residual damage, but I won't be able to tell as yet. One other thing Dr. Jackson. Did the General burn himself at all prior to his collapse?"

"What? Not that I know of, no. Why?" Daniel frowned. What had that to do with whatever Jack was suffering from? He asked himself.

"Only that his right hand shows severe blistering as a result of what looks like a burn, that's all. It's probably nothing."

Daniel turned and watched his friend for a few moments, then sighed. He didn't recall Jack burning his hand at all, but then he himself was suffering a bit with that dang hang-over and he was sure there was nothing wrong with Jack's hand when they drove into the base that morning. Sometimes he wished Jack would be a little more forthcoming when it came to feeling ill or was hurting. He guessed the man would never change though.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he pondered over the problem. He was so tired. He'd lost count of when he'd really slept, showered, shaved or eaten last. Unbeknownst to the Doctor, he'd been living on coffee, despite her orders to drink something else. It had been brought to him by his ever faithful friend Teal'c. And although Teal'c had never said as much in words, Daniel knew he was as upset about Jack as were he and Sam. He rubbed his face again, his fingers pushing up his glasses to rub over his eyes.

"Go and rest Daniel. I'll stay here..."

"Actually there's no need for you to stay away from his side now we've sort of identified the problem," the Doctor assured them. "As I said he had a severe reaction to the chemical, but it's nothing like I've ever seen before. This wasn't the usual response to such a severe...allergy. Nothing like the sort of reaction you would have had to any normal stimuli Dr. Jackson."

"But Jack hasn't been anywhere off-world for a long time," Daniel puzzled.

There was silence in the room once more as Daniel digested the medic's information when suddenly Sam all but shouted out, making him startle.

"Wait!" she cried. "Daniel do you remember when the Ambassador from Venastras visited?"

"Ambassador Kaytan?" Daniel gaped, wondering where Sam was going with this old news.

"Yes. You said that touching was taboo on their planet."

"Yeah... So?" He had no idea what Sam was getting at. Maybe it was because he was so tired and he had just woken up from a deep sleep. His head still felt muzzy.

"General O'Neill kept looking at his hand after the Ambassador shook it," Sam gasped, breathless with realisation. "Don't you see?" she asked hopeful that Daniel would understand. "We thought that it was strange at the time because the General seemed a little 'spaced out' for a moment afterwards...and now he has blisters on his hand!"

Daniel jumped up excitedly, all traces of tiredness banished in the joy of comprehension.

"Th...the c...contact!" he cried, his words tumbling over each other in the rush to voice his discovery. "Could it really be that simple? That there was a reason for not touching?"

Doctor Brightman looked at them totally perplexed.

Sam began to explain her theory slowly to the Doctor who then came to the same conclusion about what they were saying.

"Could we perhaps get a sample from them?" the medic asked hopefully. "It will make the research into finding a cure that much easier."

Sam nodded and said she would ask Colonel Dixon if she, Daniel and Teal'c could make a quick return to Venastras to take a few swabs. She was out of the room in a flash, followed by Brightman who would endorse their request.

Daniel turned to look out of the window once he was alone again and whispered to his friend to hang on just a little bit longer. Then he too hurried after Sam, eager to find a cure for his best friend.

TBC


	7. chapter 7

Chapter 7

By the time SG-1 had returned, Jack had improved slightly but it was slow going. After all the post-mission protocol, the first thing Daniel did was to go and sit by his friend's side. At least Jack was able to breathe on his own again, though still not without the aid of an oxygen mask. His lungs were still compromised.

Dr. Brightman was pleased with the samples that SG-1 had brought back with them, though according to Daniel, the Venastrans' were slightly put out that the Ambassador's 'touch' had brought about the General's downfall, though he was heard to remark that Jack's hand had almost burned his hand too with it's heat. Daniel felt mollified that Kaytan should at least suffer some small thing in return for almost killing his friend.

Not that Daniel was a vindictive man by any means, but the alien's attitude when they had first asked for a sample was anything but friendly towards them. With a great deal of patience and a hell of a lot of tact, he'd explained the situation that through no fault of theirs, or Jack's, that Jack and everyone else just happened to be allergic to them; though he wasn't about to prove it one way or another that it was a real problem with them all. He'd kept his hands to himself, and would accept that the Doctor was right in her hypothesis.

Placating the Venastrans' was a difficult job, but Daniel won out in the end and the reluctant and somewhat broody Ambassador acquiesced; then Sam, wearing surgical gloves, swiped a couple of sterile swabs over each of the man's hands. She'd sealed them in separate containers and they returned home, with Daniel reassuring them that it had in no way compromised their negotiations.

Sam came into the room and sat with him for a while, before leaving to work in her lab. Teal'c came by and stood sentinel at the foot of Jack's bed, watching over the two of his friends while they slept; Daniel was resting his head on the side of Jack's bed and snoring lightly, too tired to be bothered to move, yet too anxious to leave. He wanted to await the verdict from the lab where they were working hard to effect a cure.

After many hours of trial and error, Dr. Brightman entered the room and administered the final preparation of medication that they all wanted desperately to work on Jack. She patted Daniel's shoulder as he sat up and watched.

Now all they had to do was wait and hope.

Two days later:

The fire racing through his veins seemed to have dulled and the heavy ache of his limbs had eased. Noises began to filter through to him as he lay there, stiff with pain. The tightness of his chest eased greatly and he found breathing was easier to accomplish. His throat was dry and his tongue felt furry and tasted like something had crawled in there and died.

His eyelids were heavy though he could see a brightness through them, meaning that wherever he was there were bright lights above him. Soft voices penetrated his mind; voices that he knew. His friends.

He tried to prise his eyes open but they weren't co-operating yet, so he drifted back to sleep because it was easier than fighting against it.

"Jack?"

Someone was calling him, but he was reluctant to respond.

"C'mon Jack. I know you're in there. It's time to wake up!"

He moved his head slightly, trying to get away from that annoying person dragging him from his rest.

"He's trying to wake up Doctor. I'm sure of it. He moved."

Dr. Brightman moved closer and pulled her pen-light from her pocket. Lifting the nearest eyelid carefully, she flicked it towards the exposed pupil.

Jack flinched and pulled away with a grumble; he'd been quite happy to stay asleep. In fact he'd almost managed to drown out the voices again.

He blinked a few times adjusting to the brightness of the infirmary.

Dr. Brightman was smiling down at him and for a moment he felt totally disoriented, wondering how he came to be there. Then it slowly sank in. He'd been sick, sicker than he'd felt in a long time. He recalled sending SG-1 and 3 off on a rescue mission and then…? He groaned when he realised he'd collapsed in the control room in front of everyone. He remembered feeling dizzy, then Daniel and Dave Dixon were grabbing him as his legs gave way, then nothing.

"Crap!" he croaked softly.

"General?"

"Doc."

"Feeling better?"

"No!"

She smiled knowingly which irked him. How would she know if he was or wasn't?

"You're obviously feeling better Jack, considering that you've been out of it for the past two weeks or so!" Daniel stated with a grin.

"Two weeks?"

Daniel nodded and his grin widened, confirmed by the fact that Dr. Brightman grinned too.

Jack blew out a breath, but it ended up a cough. He groaned afterwards, feeling like a mule had just kicked him in the ribs.

"What the hell happened?"

"You touched, Jack!"

"Uh? What?"

"You shook hands with Ambassador Kaytan. Remember?"

"And?"

"Well, not only were you allergic to his touch, but you were also allergic to the beer you drank or rather hardly drank."

"Huh?"

"You had an extreme reaction to the secretions on the Ambassador's skin General in combination with a chemical reaction to the beer. You've been very sick. Your lungs were compromised from the reaction, and we had to put you on the ventilator, that's why your throat probably feels a little sore."

Jack nodded as Daniel spooned a few ice chips into Jack's mouth for him. Jack savoured the feel as they melted and slid down. He gestured for some more and Daniel obliged.

It took a little effort but Jack managed to bring his hand up to his face and grimaced at the bandage wrapped round it.

"Doc?"

"The point of contact sir. Your hand badly blistered as if you were burned. It'll be fine in a few days General."

"Okay. So does this pose a problem Daniel?" he asked wearily.

"No. We've explained everything to the Venastrans. We had to go back and take a few samples from the Ambassador's skin, but eventually he understood. They're still willing for the negotiations to go ahead. When you're fully recovered of course."

"I can't wait. Guess I won't be shaking hands on the deal then?"

"Not unless you wear gloves Jack."

"If it's any consolation General. I tested everybody's reaction and they would all be in the same boat. There is something in the Venastrans' skin that reacts badly when in comes into contact with human skin. Dr. Jackson wasn't fooling General. You will have to wear gloves next time. Though I wouldn't recommend that you drink that brand of beer again sir."

He shrugged and yawned, feeling worn out already.

"Yeah, whatever," Jack sighed, too tired now to be bothered with trivial details.

Daniel was smirking and Jack glared up at his friend.

"What?" he asked testily really wanting to close his eyes and go back to sleep again.

"It's just...well, what would everyone say if they knew you'd become allergic to beer Jack? I'll be ordering you orange juice next time we go to the bar," he snorted.

"Daniel!" Jack warned with a growl which sounded far less menacing as it should have, considering his voice was so croaky.

"Get some rest sir," the Doctor said, "I'll be back later to check on your progress." Turning to Daniel, she shot him a 'no-nonsense' glare. "And there's no need for you Dr. Jackson to stay here any longer. The General is improving now, so there's no excuse. Go home and get some proper sleep."

"Yeah, you do that Daniel," Jack said with a hint of a grin.

Daniel was about to object but thought better of it when she deepened her scowl.

"I'll...em...see you later Jack."

"Go home Daniel. You look worse than I feel!"

"Thanks Jack," he responded with sarcasm.

Jack sighed and closed his eyes.

"Just...go home!" Jack reiterated drifting off to sleep. "And Daniel..."

"Yes Jack?"

"Thanks..."

Daniel grinned, despite Jack's bark, he was more than happy to see his friend on the mend.

"You're welcome Jack," he answered with a huge yawn of his own.

"...but if you ever buy that crap again so help you god...

Doctor Brightman interrupted his warning and hurried Daniel away, leaving her patient to go back to sleep.

Chapter 8

After making good progress over the next ten days, Jack was finally released and allowed to go home to recuperate for another week, much to the relief of the nursing staff. Within the allotted week though, he was back, unable to stay off the base, complaining he'd spent too long away already.

He was welcomed by his ex-team-mates as well as Walter who'd genuinely missed him, and the rest of the teams and personnel that inhabited the lower levels beneath NORAD.

He hadn't been back more than 30 minutes when the first problem arose over something quite trivial, and he began to wonder why he had bothered to return so quickly. However he relaxed slightly and breathed a sigh of relief when the klaxons resounded around the walls, and soldiers rushed into the gate-room to take up their positions. This was what it was all about.

The silver Trinium leaves of the iris swirled across the opening of the wormhole to block access to the SGC.

Jack hurried down to the control room followed by Sam, Daniel and Teal'c, who were still wary of his early return to work and had practically followed him everywhere.

"What've we got Walter?"

The technician smiled up at his CO. It was good to see the General back again. They had all been worried about him. Who'd'a thought that he would have missed the irreverent and sometimes exasperating spirit that was General O'Neill.

"It's from P3Z 730 sir."

"Isn't that the planet where SG-14 ran into trouble with the Jaffa?" Jack asked, shocking everyone by his knowledge of that planet's designation and those events even when he wasn't really with it at the time. Jack had collapsed just after the rescue team had gone there to retrieve the embattled team. "What?" he asked at their surprised faces. He wasn't going to tell them that he'd read through the reports a little while ago; let them think he had some brains for a change.

"Er...yes sir, it is," Sam replied in astonishment. This man would never cease to amaze her. He certainly wasn't as dumb as he made out. He couldn't be, otherwise he wouldn't be a General, she reasoned.

"Hello SGC," came the heavily accented voice floating across the universe via the M.A.L.P that had been left behind in the rush to evacuate.

Everyone looked up at the monitor, seeing several Jaffa moving into positions. The aliens obviously hadn't realised there was a camera filming every move they made. Did they think the people of Earth were that stupid, and just how did they know the address to dial?

Jack glanced across at his friends to see if they had spotted the troops taking up positions too. He responded anyway, wondering what it was they wanted.

"This is General Jack O'Neill. How may we be of help to you?"

"Greetings General Jack O'Neill. We wish to offer you the hand of friendship between our two worlds. May we invite you and your people to our visit our lands so that we may trade."

Jack turned, a surprise clearly written on his face as well as something else. He looked down at his still scarred hand and cringed in remembrance of what had happened after the last time he'd offered someone his hand to shake. The blisters had nearly all gone but the residue of hard skin was still a reminder.

He looked up to the monitors again. They could all see that these people had no real intention of becoming friends. They were amassing troops beyond the gate. In all likelihood another trap.

"Oiy!" Jack sighed to himself and shook his head. He turned back to the microphone.

"Ah...Ya know, I've been there, done that whole 'hand of friendship' thing. It turned out it bit me, so, I don't think so. Thanks, but no thanks. Certainly not with all those Jaffa you have hiding around the area just waitin' to ambush anyone who arrived there. I'll tell you what though, you wanna try that friendship thing with the people of PZ52 918. They'll give you a rousing welcome I'm sure. They have one heck of a welcome wagon just dyin' to be offered to friendly folks like yourselves. Oh! And don't call us...we'll call you. Have a nice day!" Jack said snidely, and gestured with a hand slicing across his throat meaning for Walter to cut the transmission and shut the gate down; which the technician did with a grin.

"Or we could give him a few bottles of that beer Jack?" Daniel suggested.

Jack glared daggers at him for even bringing that subject up again. He was never going to live down the fact that he was allergic to whatever it was it had contained; damn foreign stuff. He glanced down at his hand again then looked up to see his old team looking at him with suspicion.

"It's fine thanks, and I have every intention of keeping it that way. From now on...no more shaking hands...with anyone!" Once bitten, twice shy, his mind confirmed and he was sooo not gonna acknowledge the jibe about the beer.

"Not even the President?" Daniel asked; his voice mocking.

Jack pouted and rolled his eyes.

"Oiy!" he sighed before turning away to leave them to it. He retreated to his office watched closely by his friends.

Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, and Walter burst out laughing as Jack took the stairs two at a time. Yes sir, it was good to have Jack back in the driving seat again. They'd sorely missed him.

Jack sat down in his chair, behind his highly polished desk and sighed. He had a job to do and was determined to do it to the best of his ability, though that little part of the ritual of shaking hands to confirm friendships or deals; well, he was sooo gonna let Daniel be the first one to shake on it next time.

The End.

I hope you all liked the story. Thanksto those of you who sentreviews. Please let me know if you enjoyed this...I need feedback!


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